One thing is certain then…
..if they dont want us to know the contents, it is because we would not benefit from anything that would result from them.
How does a guy like Andrews get into office let alone remain there ?
Are the majority of Vic voters really so dumb ?

It is a very slim majority, and Red Dan has worked hard to import people likely to vote for him, so it may increase. Where the heck is Jeff Kennet when we need him? Victoria’s Donald Trump, 20 years too early.

“In July, the Turnbull government refused to release an agreement it had signed with China covering the controversial program on the grounds Beijing does not want it made public.

—>> So presumably China is now calling the shots?

“But other memorandums of understanding are publicly available.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has attacked the Victorian government for signing the arrangement without consulting Canberra.

“I was surprised that the Victorian government went into that arrangement without any discussions with the Commonwealth government at all,” he said on Tuesday from his Queensland tour.

“They’re the responsibilities of the Commonwealth government and I would have hoped that the Victorian government would have taken a more co-operative approach to that process.”

But Mr Andrews said the Prime Minister’s intervention put him at odds with his own Trade Minister Simon Birmingham who had spoken positively about the deal.

“I understood that the trade minister who is in China at the moment thought it was a fantastic deal,” Mr Andrews said. “The latest Prime Minister should talk to the latest trade minister about their policies.”

Birmingham thought it was a fantastic deal, but he doesn’t know what it is either. He’s taken a leaf out of Shorten’s book. Each day just brings forth more stupidity and duplicity from our politicians, it is becoming quite depressing.

I was always led to believe that, under the Constitution, State Governments had ceded all responsibility for Foreign affairs to the Federal Government. Have I missed the referendum reclaiming this? Or has Victoria withdrawn from the Commonwealth without telling anybody? If they have withdrawn, Dan had better return all the Commonwealth funding he is promising to spend!

Dubious treaties with original inhabitants, secret MOUs with foreign powers, there’s no stopping the Andrews government’s assumption of federal authority. Maybe Dan’ll start developing his own military forces after re-election.

‘Globally, several aviation powers including the United States, Russia and France are developing stealth combat drones-for instance, the RQ-170 and X-47B of the US, and France’s Dassault nEUROn.

‘However, these models are either not available in the international market or are for experimental purposes only, rather than mass production. So the CH-7 will be the sole option for buyers wanting to field stealth combat drones, sources said.’

10-25-2017 United Front declined interview requests for this article and its website yields only sparse insights. However, a teaching manual for its cadres, obtained by the Financial Times, sets out at length and in detail the organisation’s global mission in language that is intended both to beguile and intimidate.

It exhorts cadres to be gracious and inclusive as they try to “unite all forces that can be united” around the world. But it also instructs them to be ruthless by building an “iron Great Wall” against “enemy forces abroad” who are intent on splitting China’s territory or hobbling its development. https://www.ft.com/content/fb2b3934-b004-11e7-beba-5521c713abf4
……………………………………………………………..
9-18-2017 If past trade deals are any sign, China will want to import its own workers for major infrastructure projects here. And the more tied Canada becomes to China, the more Beijing can use its heft to achieve political goals. Meanwhile, observers say China has become even more repressive internally under leader Xi Jinping. https://www.macleans.ca/economy/the-hidden-risks-of-opening-up-trade-with-china/

” Playing with data from the OHC paper. I get their gradient for the regression (1.16) by weighting the data by 1/unc^2. This forces gradient to match the early data and overshoot the later, less certain, data. Other weightings give lower gradients. ”

This Resplandy Candy uses a weighted averaging that favours the earlier more steeply rising readings to give the appearance of a steeper overall trend.

That is great for the early media coverage before further scrutiny identifies this not to be averaging as we may commonly understand it & so may not be comparable with earliear studies, by which time the media has already moved on.

Birkenstock Libs betray their party’s ethos
Daily Telegraph-11 hours ago
MAYBE it was the silver Birkenstocks, thumb rings and Get Up shopping bags that gave away the unusual nature of the gathering of north shore liberals at the Cremorne Orpheum …
Then again, the movie they had come to see, Naomi Klein’s anti-capitalist climate agitprop “This Changes Everything”, was a dead giveaway…
Miranda Devine … NSES is run by branch members loyal to NSW moderate MP Felicity Wilson, whose state electorate … The left has always seen it as an opportunity finally to create their socialist utopia. You might think this message would be antithetical to the Liberal Party’s ethos of individual freedom and free enterprise…

I know what gerrymandering is, it’s a time honoured practice of both parties, but I’m curious about “voter suppression” though. Is that reminding non-citizens that it is illegal to vote and may get you deported?

Dr Dave Janda, a well connected blogger, was saying this morning that a contact of his said that a “staggering” number of voting machines have been taken out of service and are locked away. Who ever thought it was a good idea to introduce them.

Even more worrying for you though is that a Rasmussen poll has found that up to 40% of blacks are moving off the plantation. Common wisdom says that if the GOP can get 10% of the black vote they will any election.

Voting machines, particularly without a paper trail has got to be one of the most stupid ideas….ever.

Is that reminding non-citizens that it is illegal to vote and may get you deported?

Nope, although “conservatives” generally try and frame it as that. Voter “fraud” in the US has been found, by Repug inquiry, to actually be insignificant. But, used to justify measures that make it more difficult for minority groups to cast a ballot on the day. Classic example of “fake nooz” REpugs have been putting out “fake nooz” to justify being dick and gee up the frightened an ignorant that makes up a lot of their support base.

Are these measures real or a domoRAT excuse? [you started the name calling]

Its a real and topical issue in the US and has been for some years. Has a lot to do with the demographic shifts in the US where “minorities” are on the way to not being minorities. Fear and loathing of the entitled establishment stuff.

MATT GROSSMANN11:04 PM
Electoral reform is looking good on the Michigan ballot so far. The measure on establishing an independent redistricting commission leads 61 percent to 39 percent, and a measure to create both automatic and election day voter registration leads 68 percent to 32 percent (marijuana legalization is also up 58 percent to 42 percent).

ATHANIEL RAKICH11:30 PM
Proposal 3 in Michigan has officially passed with 67 percent of the vote. That will result in big changes to voting in the Wolverine State, which will now have automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, straight-ticket voting, and the ability to vote absentee without an excuse.

Interesting votes in some states that i would say are related to the voter suppression issue.

Miranda Devine seemed to say Michael Photios wasn’t in favour of this group – or something similar – but he’s involved here. READ ALL:

3 May: Guardian: Liberal activists target Tony Abbott’s seat over climate change policy
Sydneysiders urged to join party in former PM’s seat to ‘shift the politics’ and speak up for the environment
by Anne Davies
Tony Abbott’s political future could be under threat from a group of activists who have been organising environmentally conscious voters to join Liberal party branches on Sydney’s north shore – a move that could unseat the former prime minister.

Billing themselves as “the counterweight” to the pro-coal power Monash Forum, the North Shore Environmental Stewards have held at least two recruitment functions at which attendees were urged to tap into their networks of environmentally conscious people to join the Liberal party branches in Abbott’s seat of Warringah and on the lower north shore.
The NSES has a Facebook page that says the group “supports clean energy and a healthy environment, and believes in traditional Liberal party values of environmental stewardship”…
“I was asked to participate in an initiative to have a representative in Canberra who acknowledges climate change,” said one person who attended the meeting in Seaforth on 25 March.

Exactly who is involved in the group remains a matter of conjecture.
Certainly, Liberals have attended. Several high-profile figures in the moderate faction of the Liberal party, including the powerbroker Michael Photios and his wife, Kristina, attended the lunchtime gathering of the NSES at Seaforth in March.
LAUNCH PIC: North Shore Environmental Stewards

Also attending were the New South Wales MP for North Shore, Felicity Wilson, and David Begg, a longtime Liberal party member who ran against Abbott for preselection in the 1990s.
Photios addressed the meeting and, according to one attendee, put the case that the Liberals were the party that would tackle climate change – and that they should join. He highlighted his own record of defending the environment when in state parliament…

Photios told Guardian Australia he had attended the Seaforth meeting because his wife, a passionate environmentalist, had been asked to speak. She ultimately didn’t speak but Photios did and was the main speaker at the event…

Clean Energy Strategies: (from Our Team: #1 Michael Photios, Partner. #2 Kristina Photios. Director)
We are proud to have advised and work with …
Former US Vice President Al Gore during his special purpose energy and climate visit to Australia…

An Australian residential and commercial solar PV company

Worked with the nation’s most successful private pumped hydro consortium on its penultimate project including securing multi-million financial support from the Federal Government

8 Dec 2016: SMH: Liberal Party powerbroker’s wife Kristina Photios quits over lack of action on climate change
by Heath Aston
The Liberal Party must move “back to the centre” and progressive members should stand up and be heard to ensure Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is not held hostage to the hard right of the party, Ms Photios told Fairfax Media…
“Debate in the Liberal Party is being shut down by a vocal minority of conservatives who are subverting the democratic process,” Ms Photios said, singling out former prime minister Tony Abbott and South Australian senator Cory Bernardi as among those “ideologically-driven” Liberals who wield disproportionate influence…

“Josh Frydenberg and Malcolm Turnbull did not propose a policy this week, they proposed having a debate about what is the best policy to reduce emissions. Why are the Liberals, the party of business and markets, stopping a new innovative sector [renewable energy] from growing? It’s completely hypocritical.”…
Ms Photios, who joined the Liberal Party in 2004 as a 19-year-old, quit her membership a fortnight ago because she knew she would be expelled when she went public with her grievances…
“If no one has Malcolm Turnbull’s back, he’s going to go where he’s pushed,” she said.
“Tony Abbott and Cory Bernardi have taken the agenda and no one has said: ‘That’s wrong, that’s stupid, that’s not what we stand for’.”

Mr Photios sought to head off any claim his wife had been sent out as his proxy in a factional war.
“Kristina is a very passionate believer in climate change and the causes of problems with the environment and I will fight strongly for her right to express her views as an individual,” he said…
Ms Photios, a graduate of the selective Sydney Girls’ High School who went on to roles with Macquarie Bank and Optus, said she was “terrified of climate change”.
—

Kristina Photios in climate change of heart
The Australian-12 Jun. 2017
Kristina Photios, wife of Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios, has rejoined the party. Call it the“Alan Finkel effect”. Late last year, in a blaze of publicity, Kristina dramatically quit the Liberals to reclaim her voice and denounce what she called the…

LinkedIn: Clean Energy Strategies
About us: Clean Energy Strategies is a leading corporate advisory and government relations firm specialising in renewables and industries impacted by government Climate Policy.
Year Founded: 2017
Jason Rooks, Clean Engery Strategies, President at Clean Energy Strategies (Greater Atlanta, Georgia area on his LinkedIn page)https://au.linkedin.com/company/clean-energy-strategies

May 2015: Reuters: Conservative push for solar is backed by usual green advocates
by Nichola Groom, Richard Valdmanis
When Debbie Dooley, a Tea Party firebrand from Woodstock Georgia, makes the case for solar power, she doesn’t rely on the usual environmental talking points. She speaks of property rights, national security and free market competition…
The conservative push for solar had some of its earliest success in Georgia, where Dooley’s Green Tea Coalition and others critical of utility Georgia Power’s control of the electricity market first began to lobby for “energy choice”.

Jason Rooks, a lobbyist for Georgia’s solar industry trade group, had spent years trying to advance solar power’s prospects in the state before hiring conservative communications strategist Derrick Dickey last year. Dickey helped Rooks craft a message that would connect with GOP legislators.
“I always resisted the green jobs argument, the global warming argument. All of that wasn’t going to work in Georgia,” said Rooks…

Oct 2017: AFR: More than 50pc of Liberal voters back a CET: Climate Council poll
PHOTO: Kristina Photios from Conservatives for Conservation wants action on climate change
by Mark Ludlow
More than half of Liberal voters support the Turnbull government delivering a Clean Energy Target to end uncertainty over climate policy and drive investment in the energy sector, according to new polling.

With Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg hoping to deliver an overhauled CET before the end of the year, the new polling ***commissioned by the Climate Council will put further pressure on the Turnbull government to not “water down” the key recommendation from the landmark Finkel energy review…

“It would be incorrect to assume that we are the party of climate denialists,” Conservatives for Conservation founder and chair Kristina Photios said…
Ms Photios, the wife of Liberal Party powerbroker Michael Photios, quit the party in December last year over climate policy but was convinced to rejoin this year. She says it should not just be Labor and the Greens who are seen as the parties who want action on climate change.

The ReachTEL polling of 2176 people earlier this month found 61 per cent of Liberal voters believed it was either “very important” or “somewhat important” for the Turnbull government to implement the CET.
The move was also backed by almost 90 per cent of Labor voters and virtually all Greens supporters (99.5 per cent).
The polling also showed 56 per cent of voters believed the Turnbull government failed to provide a “clear, long-term energy policy” ***to help reduce energy prices…https://www.afr.com/news/politics/more-than-50pc-of-liberal-voters-back-a-cet-climate-council-poll-20170929-gyra8f

There’s an interesting theory about globalism. Communism is said to have had the life span of a very old human. As its dynamic initiators died off, there was a younger generation left with all the power and paraphernalia but without the motivation and grounding. This is because communism was built on blatantly wrong assumptions about human nature which had to be defended by people who could swamp truth by sheer zeal and ruthlessness.

Some say that globalism is similarly threatened by the aging and death of its initiators. The difference between generations is that between Zbigniew and Mika. Yes, there’s still lots of money to be made and lots of power to be enjoyed. But globalism is becoming a clown show as the old guard of ruthless, relentless manipulators is being replaced by a mob who want to knock off at five for drinkies, just like you and me.

Globalism is supremely well resourced and funded, with representatives everywhere. But when we look at who is left leading the charge in Oz (the climate beat-up is just the pointy end of globalism, right?) we see figures like Mr Turnbull, Mr Photios and Mrs Photios. Walking embarrassments who couldn’t find a vote if they were running against the monster from Alien.

Don’t get me wrong: the power is still in globalist hands and the damage still to be done by the climatariat is massive. But I think we can take heart from the quality of stooge the globalists are forced to insert into Australia’s conservative parties for lack of anybody articulate and plausible. It’s like the fire’s gone out and they’re just phoning it in.

June 2017: ShootersFishersFarmers: Are “power-brokers” letting us run out of power?
As prices rise, John Preston says that electricity policy is seemingly being made in a telephone booth by the two people running the New South Wales Liberal Party: Energy Minister Don Harwin, and the lobbyist for AGL Energy Michael Photios.
Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party Hunter region spokesman John Preston today called-on Energy Minister Don Harwin to come clean on the influence of his factional ally lobbying for electricity companies.
“New South Wales electricity prices are essentially being negotiated in a phone box, and unless somebody intervenes everybody will suffer.
“The two people controlling energy policy are the two power-brokers running the New South Wales Liberal Party: Don Harwin and Michael Photios. One is the State Energy Minister, the other is a lobbyist for big electricity companies such as AGL.

“Meanwhile, AGL is reportedly rising their electricity prices by 16.9 per cent, and Energy Australia by 19 per cent. Everybody else will be shivering this winter as they worry about being able to afford to turn on a heater.
“Minister Harwin must come clean on a clear conflict of interest with a key factional ally.”

Mr Preston noted irregularities in the Federal lobbyist register which lists Michael Photios’ wife Kristina Photios as a Director of the firm Clean Energy Strategies, while ASIC lists Mr Photios himself as a director, omitting the name of his wife.
Other directors of the firm are colleagues of Michael Photios from other lobbying firms, but the New South Wales lobbyist register does not list Clean Energy Strategies whatsoever.
“I’m concerned that these paperwork anomalies in lobbyist registers are a smokescreen for Mr Photios’ tentacles influencing energy policy…

In Colorado voters are also voting on stopping fracking through much of the state. One of the arguments is Climate Change and the threat to the ski industry, which after 30 years of Global Warming doesn’t appear to have had an effect at all.

“The 2016-2017 Season
Due to some extra snowfall toward the end of the season, in 2017, many Colorado resorts extended the season. Resorts closing early April included Buttermilk, Telluride, Crested Butte, and Beaver Creek. Copper Mountain, Steamboat, Keystone, and Snowmass extended their seasons to mid-April. Vail, Breckenridge, and Aspen extended their seasons to April 23 and Mary Jane at Winter Park extended to April 30. Loveland ski resort stayed open all the way until early May.

The 2017-2018 Season
Many Colorado resorts opened in October during the 2017-2018 season (including Arapahoe Basin and Loveland). In November, Aspen, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Eldora, Howelsen Hill, Monarch, Purgatory, Snowmass, Steamboat, Winter Park, and Wolf Creek all opened as well.

and

Breck will close April 22, with most other CO resorts closing between April 8–22. Every single ski resort is open through March, with most Colorado resorts closing first and second week of April. In fact, Colorado ski resorts often see their deepest snow bases during this month since it’s typically still snowing. Some years, it snows well into May and some resorts will even re-open for Memorial Day skiing. It’s not uncommon for Arapahoe Basin to stay open until the 4th of July.

6 Nov: AFR: Power grid CEOs go on the attack ahead of retailers roundtable
by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The heads of electricity networks have come out fighting ahead of the electricity retailers’ roundtable with Energy Minister Angus Taylor on Wednesday, at which some retailers are set to urge the government to widen its drive for price cuts to the rest of the supply chain.

Paul Italiano, chief executive of NSW’s TransGrid, and Ausgrid chief Richard Gross both defended their companies’ record on cost reductions, putting the onus back on the retailers to satisfy the federal government’s insistence that electricity prices are reduced on January 1.
In an exclusive statement to The Australian Financial Review, Mr Italiano, Mr Gross and Endeavour Energy head Tony Narvaez said regulated network costs have fallen by 15-17 per cent based on the analysis of results from AGL Energy and Origin Energy, “which should be reflected in lower household bills”.

The war of words comes as retailing CEOs such as Origin’s Frank Calabria and EnergyAustralia’s Catherine Tanna have called for the government to focus on all parts of the electricity supply chain – not just retailers – to achieve lower prices for consumers.

They point out that the retail component of a power bill is minor and called for action on network charges and ***green subsidies, which they say are more to blame for high prices, along with rising wholesale tariffs…

A separate session in the afternoon, also chaired by Mr Taylor, will involve banks and power generators and will cover the government’s proposed mechanism to partially underwrite new power plants that can generate on-demand…

Also fracking employs 230,000 people in Colorado. Wind employs 17,000. An embargo on most fracking would send the state into recession. Considering most of Colrado is higher than Mt Kosciosko and that is only the flat part, the high plains, the Climate Change business has had no observable effect but the anti fracking move could devastate the place. So where is that not true, the myth that Green jobs will replace fossil energy jobs? Think Hazelwood, Loy Yang.

In what looms as a rebuff to the Prime Minister in his home division of the party, the moderates say their candidate for the Sutherland Shire seat of Hughes, Kent Johns, has the numbers and will be challenging Mr Kelly.

***The Right, to which Mr Kelly belongs, agrees, saying he has been remiss in looking after his branches and would be lucky to have 25 per cent of the vote.

Last month, The Australian Financial Review reported Mr Morrison had stepped in to spare Mr Kelly in order to stop an outbreak of civil war inside the NSW Liberal Party and to improve his embattled government’s chances of holding Hughes…

Climate sceptic
Mr Kelly, a climate sceptic, has further raised eyebrows by giving speeches to branch members in other seats about his views on energy and climate, something considered especially damaging given climate change was a factor in the Wentworth byelection.
Tony Abbott regards Mr Kelly as a key ally and in May, when Mr Turnbull was leader, threatened a destabilisation campaign which could cost the Coalition the election if Mr Kelly was dumped…

An interesting change in language is appearing in the Climate Change story. People are now declaring that they believe in Climate Change.

This subtle change shows that the story of Global Warming is fading fast and now people are declaring their faith in Climate Change. Firstly it reverses the Climate Change denier attack and secondly shows that people are prepared to support measures to stop the “Climate Crisis” even if there isn’t one. They believe. Shades of the Rapture.

The other is that they are trying to mix up all the ecological arguments, to class CO2 as a pollutant, to class coal as dirty, to mix this up with Cadmium, mercury, Sulphur, heavy metals and rapacious industrial giants. The irony is that these are now all in the mix for windmills and solar panels, not coal power stations. Fortunes are being made and the money flows like a river because of government interference in power generation and direct and indirect government taxes and simple theft like the RET.

As for sulphur forming sulphuric acid, that was stopped a long time ago but the caring greens are now drowning cities in even more dangerous nitric acid from clouds of diesel smoke. New acid rain and lung eating nitric acid is a direct result of Green policies and the attack on clean coal. More irony than a foundry.

Dems flipped a net 24 seats with the Socialist republic of Kalifornication to go, so I think they go on to win the house by 8 (ie 210 vs 225 is my prediction) (no that’s not 15 because move 8 votes from one to the other and you have the reverse result)

Those flips are generally very very marginal 1-3% though – the number of democrat marginal seats for the next congressional election will be huge. This is not a good win, especially for house reps now in very marginal seats in red territory – there will be lots of motive to compromise with wins of 1-3% margins and no chance of an impeachment attempt. Their parliament is a lot like ours post this election, a lot of butt protection will be required to keep those very marginal seats.

But the US government is now back in gridlock which frankly is probably the best place for it to be. No irresponsible treaties can be ratified, or irresponsible legislation can be passed. Unfortunately that probably means no more economic stimulation or tax cuts for the US, which isn’t do good for my superannuation.

Senate is safe but lower house is lost ,not the route the watermelons were after but this will be a thorn for Trump .
Democrats better watch how they conduct themselves though because too many political games in the next two years might see them get punished again next presidential election.

Occasional-Cortex is the youngest ever Soros clone to be elected to the House.
A quick glance at the equine cosmetic dentistry and one could be forgiven of thinking of Comrade Ardern across the Tasman, was just another Socialist Soros lab clone.

Icecap.us hasnt been updated for a few weeks but today there is a new post.
Nov 06, 2018
Alarmist Claim Rebuttal Update
“Below are a series of rebuttals of the most common climate alarmists’ claims such as those made in the recently released Fourth National Climate Assessment Report. ..”

“Claim: Heat Waves are increasing at an alarming rate and heat kills.
Summary of Rebuttal

There has been no detectable long-term increase in heat waves in the United States or elsewhere in the world. Most all-time record highs here in the U.S. happened many years ago, …”

Found this little gem of a question in questions section of another (non climate) forum I have been known to spend time in;

Regardless of personal opinion on global warming (Seriously, I don’t want to hear it) scientifically, how long do we have left given the idea that we continue on polluting the earth without changing our habits?

Think it goes without saying my answer will probably get reported to that forum’s mods.

The Us voting system seems quite poorly supervised and a bit chaotic compared to the Australian system. It was reported that Voting Machines broke down and people wanting to vote had to wait for hours!

Voting Machines? What are they. Can they be verified if a recount is called? What about paper Voting Forms filled out by Pencil?

Also does the US have Voting rolls of verified enrolled voters who are allowed to vote ie Citizens? Having a driving licence does not qualify some one to vote in Australia.

I have to give credit to the Australian Electoral Commission for the way that voting is administered in Australia. I have never waited more than 5 minutes to enter a polling place. The first thing they do is ask if I have voted in the election already and after I have confirmed that this is my first and only vote my name is found on the roll of eligible voters and crossed off.

I did ask at the office of the Electoral Commission what happens when they detect some one who has voted more than once. They confirmed that it does happen, but said it was fairly uncommon. Mostly they take no action.

They said that they have made some referrals to the police but no one has been prosecuted in recent years.

I don’t know if there has ever been an audit by the Auditor-General (assuming that Office has the authority) of the frequency of multiple voting, but the adage “vote early and vote often” is the smoke that suggests it may well be a very prevalent activity – especially in hyper-marginal seats and with multiple voting stations in each electorate.

You have every right to be sceptical Sam. If the AEC never investigates they can say “We have no evidence of voter fr@ud” with a straight face.

Years ago land sharks were selling blocks on Russell Is [Moreton Bay] which were inundated in high tides. Although gazetted and numbered some streets were never built on. Some, however, were registered voters’ addresses.

I have to give credit to the Australian Electoral Commission for the way that voting is administered in Australia.

Broad agreement across the spectrum on that. We are NOT first past the post, we HAVE compulsory voting, we HAVE electoral boundaries sorted according to actual RULES by a non partisan institution, we DO our voting on a weekend when most people dont have to go to work, we HAVE lots of polling booths available (that aren’t in gated communities).

And we have negligible levels of vote fraud.

Voting machines, particularly ones that DONT have a paper trail to facilitate recounts, are just a stupid idea. anyone seriously pushing them needs putting back in their anti-democratic box.

AEC called AFP in to investigate potential voter fraud in Townsville
KIERAN ROONEY, Townsville Bulletin
November 7, 2016 12:00am
Subscriber only
A JOINT committee will probe voting irregularities in the seat of Herbert after the Australian Federal Police were called in to investigate 42 cases of potential double voting.

A report by the Australian Electoral Commission on the outcomes of the federal election has for the first time ­detailed irregularities investigated in the recount in the knife-edge electorate.

Labor’s Cathy O’Toole beat LNP incumbent Ewen Jones by just 37 votes, sparking national interest in the Herbert result after the Turnbull Government’s slim majority in the lower house.

The submission says the AEC referred 42 cases of apparent multiple voting for investigation by the AFP.

“To ensure the integrity of the result in the Division of Herbert, the AEC undertook an early examination of any possible cases of multiple voting,” the report reads.

During the last 10 years, the Australian Electoral Commission has conducted six electoral events, including four elections, a Constitutional Convention and a referendum. There were 72 million votes cast, and there were72 cases of proven electoral fraud.[14]

6 Nov: ClimateChangeNews: Macron takes on motorists over diesel tax hike
The French president has defended increasing the tax on diesel to tackle air pollution, as drivers prepare to block the roads in protest
By Natalie Sauer
Speaking to national radio station Europe 1, Emmanuel Macron said the rise stood “in line with what the previous majority voted and wanted. In other words: to tax fossil fuels more [and] whatever produces emissions. This is how we will reinvest in renewable energies.”
He added: “I would rather tax fuel than tax work. Those who grumble over fuel price hikes also demand that we fight against air pollution because their children suffer from illnesses.”

Rising by 6.5 cents a litre, the diesel tax change is part of a wider package of financial measures set to come into force on 1 January 2019…
But the pill is hard to swallow for the country’s poorer car-dependent households, who are already grappling with a fuel price rise resulting from global market fluctuations…

French drivers are planning a blockade to protest price rises on 17 November.
Five years ago, France’s attempt to impose a green tax on road freight was sunk in the face of country-wide protests. Brittany, in particular, launched the red caps movement, spreading chaos by occupying roads and bridges…

This time, the uniform of protest is a yellow vest. “This yellow vest will be the red cap of rural and provincial drivers, who have been held hostage by this fiscal extortion ***with pseudo-ecological airs,” one of the organisers tweeted.
Asked whether the measure amounted to ***“punitive ecology”, Macron said: “This is ecology and we need to do it.”…

6 Nov: ClimateChangeNews: EU finance ministers call for transparency in climate finance
At a meeting in Brussels, ministers agreed on the need to scale up public and private climate finance to the developing world.
By Sara Stefanini
EU economy and finance ministers on Tuesday stressed the need to scale up public and private money for climate change and urged multilateral development banks to end funding for coal.

Following a meeting in Brussels, the ministers emphasised that public finance alone “can never be sufficient” in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. Public policy must therefore clear the way for sustainable investments from the private sector, they said.
The European Union funnelled €20.4 billion ($23bn) in public money towards limiting climate change and adapting to its effects in 2017, making it the largest contributor in the world, the ministers noted…

They reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to continue raising public and private climate finance as part of the developed world’s pledge to shore up $100bn per year by 2020…

7 Nov: West Australian: AAP: Senior ministers reject Paris exit calls
by Daniel McCulloch
Energy Minister Angus Taylor has slapped down conservative colleagues and media commentators demanding the government withdraw from its Paris climate commitments.
Mr Taylor said it was wrong to argue leaving the agreement would lead to a “miraculous drop” in power prices, adding Australia would reach its Paris carbon emission reduction targets well ahead of time.
Paris would not require new interventions in the energy market, nor create new pricing pressures.

“We will reach our emissions targets in the national electricity market well ahead of 2030,” Mr Taylor told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also bristled at claims the Paris accord is a vehicle to shovel money to “rent seekers” in the Pacific.

Sydney radio host Alan Jones is a vocal and consistent critic of the global climate change covenant
During an interview with the prime minister on Wednesday, he described the Paris agreement as a metaphor for clinging to past failures.

Mr Morrison flatly disagreed and rebuffed his repeated demands to walk away from the non-binding deal.
“Paris is also important to all of our Pacific neighbours, Alan, as I’ve discussed before,” he told 2GB radio.
“This is a very important issue within our own region.”

Jones, who is a powerful backroom figure inside the Liberal Party, was incredulous.
He grilled the prime minister about whether he believed Pacific islands were going to wash away because of global warming, or that Bondi Beach would end up at Bathurst.
“Do you think all these rent seekers in the Pacific should get money, do you? You’ve said you’re not going to contribute to Paris. We’ve already chipped in $200 million, they’re rent seekers, they just want money,” Jones said.
Mr Morrison took umbrage at the slurs.
“I don’t think that’s very respectful to the Pacific islands, Alan, I really don’t, and I don’t share that view,” he said…READ ONhttps://thewest.com.au/politics/senior-ministers-reject-paris-exit-calls-ng-s-1904112

Let’s assume Morrison is empty headed and has misjudged his base, he needs to be humiliated. and Jones did a great job in exposing the PM’s ignorance on climate change.

Lachlan Murdoch is a chip off the old block, yet more conservative than his father and fortunately both are sceptics. Sky will keep the pressure on government over this issue, something the ABC won’t touch.

Morrison has had greatness thrust upon him and yet appears to be incapable of leading the party to victory. According to the Guardian our man Tony Abbott is preparing to take over the Opposition reigns after the fall.

A Bill and Penny guvmint will then join the Belt and Road and break with the Alliance, so be careful what you wish for, because there is no going back.

‘The opening question was predictable but central: “Why aren’t you still prime minister?”

‘Turnbull’s reply was rehearsed and targeted personally as well as generally.

This was “the question I can’t answer,” he said. “The only people that can answer that are the people that engineered the coup – people like Peter Dutton and TonyAbbott and Greg Hunt and Mathias Cormann – the people who voted for the spill.

7 Nov: HuffPo: Carlos Curbelo, Top Republican On Climate Change, Loses To Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
This is bad news for the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.
By Alexander C. Kaufman
In July, Curbelo proposed a $24 per metric ton carbon tax, legislation that made waves not for its ambition but for its break with party that, as a platform issue, rejects the mainstream scientific consensus that humans are causing climate change and there’s still time to halt emissions.

The bill faced meager prospects of becoming law. Days after Curbelo unveiled the bill, 97 percent of House Republicans voted to approve a resolution stating that a carbon tax would be harmful to the U.S. economy. The National Review called it “wealth redistribution.”…

Curbelo criticized Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords last year and became one of the first Republicans to call for former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s resignation. But Curbelo voted for the controversial GOP tax bill that opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ― the fragile 19.2-million acre ecosystem so rich in nature it’s nicknamed the American Serengeti ― to oil exploration. The nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters downgraded Curbelo from the top-ranking House Republican on its list to 13th, with a paltry 23 percent score…

Curbelo’s loss could doom the nascent Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan club that surged to 90 members over the past few months, said R.L. Miller, president of the super PAC Climate Hawks Vote, which endorsed Mucarsel-Powell. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) was the first member of the caucus to lose on Tuesday night.
“It’ll likely spell the end of the climate peacocks,” Miller said, referring to her pejorative nickname for a caucus she sees as effective only at laundering the reputations of Republicans how otherwise vote against climate policies. “And the Republicans will blame Democrats for politicizing climate.”https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/curbelo-fl-26_us_5bd9dbbbe4b01abe6a1a8392

7 Nov: Guardian: George Monbiot: David Attenborough has betrayed the living world he loves
By downplaying our environmental crisis, the presenter’s BBC films have generated complacency, confusion and ignorance
Knowingly creating a false impression of the world: this is a serious matter. It is more serious still when the BBC does it, and yet worse when the presenter is “the most trusted man in Britain”. But, as his latest interview with the Observer reveals, David Attenborough sticks to his line that fully representing environmental issues is a “turn-off”.

His new series, Dynasties, will mention the pressures affecting wildlife, but Attenborough makes it clear that it will play them down. To do otherwise, he suggests, would be “proselytising” and “alarmist”…

7 Nov: Guardian: Taxing red meat would save many lives, research shows
The cost of bacon and sausages would double if the harm they cause to people’s health was taken into account
by Damian Carrington
Taxing red meat would save many lives and raise billions to pay for healthcare, according to new research…
It found that a 20% tax on unprocessed red meat and a 110% tax on the more harmful processed products across rich nations, with lower taxes in less wealthy nations, would cut annual deaths by 220,000 and raise $170bn (£130bn)…

“The results are dramatic for processed meat,” said Marco Springmann, at the University of Oxford and who led the new study. “Bacon is really one of the unhealthiest food products that is out there.”…
“Nobody wants governments to tell people what they can and can’t eat,” Springmann said. But the healthcare costs incurred by eating red meat are often paid by all taxpayers, he said: “It is totally fine if you want to have [red meat], but this personal consumption decision really puts a strain on public funds. It is not about taking something away from people, it is about being fair.”…

Rob Bailey, a researcher at the Chatham House thinktank and not part of the research team, said: “The recent sugar tax has shown the UK government’s willingness to tax foods when there is a sound rationale for doing so. I would argue that there are strong grounds for taxing meat. I find it hard to imagine a meat tax will not be implemented within the next decade.”

Meat eating is also damaging the planet…
In October, scientists reported that huge reductions in meat eating are essential to avoid dangerous climate change, including a 90% drop in beef consumption in western nations…

The researchers calculated red meat taxes for 149 different nations, with the rate depending on how much red meat those citizens eat and the costliness of their healthcare system. The US would have among the highest tax rates, with a 163% levy on ham and sausages and a 34% levy on steaks.

6 Nov: RenewableEnergyMag: BNEF Finds Energy Storage a $1.2 Trillion Investment Opportunity to 2040
The tumbling cost of batteries is set to drive a boom in the installation of energy storage systems around the world in the years from now to 2040, according to the latest annual forecast from research company BloombergNEF.

BNEF expects the global energy storage market to grow to a cumulative 942GW/2,857GWh by 2040, attracting $1.2 trillion in investment over the next 22 years. Cheap batteries will mean wind and solar will increasingly be able to run when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
BNEF’s latest Long-Term Energy Storage Outlook sees the capital cost of a utility-scale lithium-ion battery storage system sliding another 52 percent between 2018 and 2030…

7 Nov: Radio New Zealand: New supercomputers to research effects of climate change
Three new supercomputers capable of processing more than 2000 trillion calculations per second will enable scientists to carry out more research into the effects of climate change.
by Dan Dalgety
NIWA launched the $23million New Zealand High Performance Computing Facility at its campus in Wellington this morning…

The huge processing power of the three machines will enable scientists to delve more deeply into forecasting weather hazards and analysing genetic information, she said.
“The key to unravelling [climate change and hazards] is understanding more deeply what’s really going on – and data is absolutely critical to that. This supercomputing power gives us the ability to actually use that data and and get right to the core of some of those issues.”…

NIWA scientist Sam Dean said the infrastructure will help them get more accurate information more quickly.
It’s a big step forward in the accuracy and quality of information, he said…
“I’ve been using these computers for a number of years to predict the impact of climate change on New Zealand. With these new supercomputers, essentially it’s 100 times more powerful – and we’ll be able to run models that are 100 times more powerful and thus much more accurate.”…https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/375406/new-supercomputers-to-research-effects-of-climate-change

ABC reports that the average number of seats lost at the midterms by a first term President is 27 -30 in the lower house .
Sky news reports that Obama and Bush lost around 70 seats during the same process and Trump is about 30 seats down ,this being the case Trump has actually done ok and even gained seats in the senate .

AUDIO 13min32sec: 7 Nov: ABC The Signal: Hydrogen: Silver bullet for climate change or sci-fi?
Hydrogen is emerging as one way to help the world wean itself off coal, and Australia’s in the perfect spot to make a lot of it.

The idea is to turn other energy sources like wind, solar or coal into a liquid fuel that could be easily stored and shipped to countries that can’t make enough of their own renewable energy.
Australia’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel says hydrogen exports could be worth $1.7 billion and provide 2800 jobs by 2030, with the right policies.
He calls it shipping sunshine.

6 Nov: Guardian: UK renewable energy capacity surpasses fossil fuels for first time
Renewable capacity has tripled in past five years, even faster growth than the ‘dash for gas’ of the 1990s
by Adam Vaughan
The result is that between July and September, the capacity of wind, solar, biomass and hydropower reached 41.9 gigawatts, exceeding the 41.2GW capacity of coal, gas and oil-fired power plants…
Imperial College London, which compiled the figures, said the rate at which renewables had been built in the past few years was greater than the “dash for gas” in the 1990s…

However, the amount of power from fossil fuels was still greater over the quarter, at about 40% of electricity generation compared with 28% for renewable sources…
In total, 57% of electricity generation was low carbon over the period, produced either by renewables or nuclear power stations.
In terms of installed capacity, wind is the biggest source of renewables at more than 20GW, followed by solar spread across nearly 1m rooftops and in fields. Biomass is third…

7 Nov: Mike Cannon-Brookes, Atlassian billionaire, calls on Government to reinstate carbon price
7.30 report By Nadia Daly
Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has called for Australia to reinstate the controversial carbon price, as he pushes to influence government policy with his new green energy campaign.

Mr Cannon-Brookes said the “movement”, dubbed Fair Dinkum Power, would put forward policy suggestions around renewable energy ahead of the upcoming election, with the aim to move Australia to “200 per cent renewable energy”…

Mr Cannon-Brookes said he got fired up after seeing Prime Minister Scott Morrison use the term “fair dinkum power” — which he believes was code for coal power — and decided to “reclaim” the phrase by creating a movement of the same name.
What started as a tweet last week soon became a brand with its own website, logo and even printed t-shirts…

“The biggest kind of thing we can do I guess is put in place a carbon price,” he said.
But he conceded “politically it’s incredibly unpopular, so it’s probably not going to happen.”
“The second thing we could do is just not subsidise older power generation techniques … like coal,” he said…
“Personally, I have some investments in solar plants, solar farms. I’m very bullish on that as a sector and you can see from the investment going in, that’s not a unique view…

7 Nov: Radio NZ: Dateline Pacific: Canberra vows it’s with the Pacific on climate change
Australia’s assistant minister for international development and the Pacific, Anne Ruston, says Canberra will meet, if not exceed, its commitments to combat climate change.
Pacific Island countries say climate change is the greatest threat they face and Ms Ruston says her government backs them on this.

4. Inevitable attempts to impeach Trump, none of which will be worth the time and effort because the Senate will not convict which requires a 2/3 majority yes vote

5. Uncountable investigations by the House into Trumps every last second since birth hoping to uncover something to make impeachment stick

6. No end of “I told you so” self righteous talking heads lecturing us on the dangers of Republicans and how this is a great victory for the people

7. The marchers will not be stopped and the border — they will come on in, trespassing where they have no right to be

8. The stock market will remain strong, something that benefits me, a retired guy with a portfolio I want to grow to be even better than it is

9. No end of Democrat attempts to eliminate the tax cuts, confiscate what guys like me have worked for a lifetime to build up — thieves abound in the party Democrat

10. Nancy Pelosi sounding off as usual although this time it looks like she will not be Speaker of the House of Representatives but we must wait to see what happens

11. California has Gavin Newsom as governor, a disaster even worse than Jerry Brown

12. I’m still represented in Congress and in the State Assembly by Democrats

13. And let’s not forget, draining the swamp will become a fading memory as Republicans, fearful for their votes do what politicians have always done, lose their backbone about most things.

14. Trump may yet appoint another good honest Supreme Court Justice who stands a good chance of being confirmed.

15. We may see attempts to impeach Brett Kavanaugh which will fail in the senate like any other likely impeachment

16. Maxine Waters, with umpteen years of seniority will run wild — of course the woman is so ignorant that she doesn’t know how the government of The United States works

17. The current unrest will not have been alleviated and someone will get hurt when violence increases, which I think is inevitable

18. Probably many election results are skewed by large numbers of noncitizen voters, Judicial Watch has sued California to get our voter rolls cleaned up, so far without result — only Judicial Watch has ever been serious about voter fraud

18. And I was forced to vote to reelect Senator Dianne Feinstein because of California’s change that turned the national election into just a runoff between the top 2 from the primary — I could choose a bad Democrat or a worse Democrat

What’s not to like about Election Day, 2018? There was something for everyone. There will be no end of “fun” that I will avoid by leaving my TV off and I will enjoy reading the monthly statements from my brokers (I hope).

Yes it’s bad. I watched Nancy Pelosi on national TV last night speaking out and out lies.

Just between you and me, I’m happy to see gridlock come back since the House and Senate have refused to support Trump on so many things. Let them all fight it out.

Well…no, not really. It’s just the best position I can have under the circumstances.

And I would rather it be this way and have Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court because his influence will be felt for years to come, many years after Trump is gone and congress changes hands several more times (I hope). He’ll be there until my country finally falls because of its utter stupidity.

Sessions out the door already. Methinks Trump will be as busy as a one armed paper hanger in a gale for the next two months. There are hundreds, thousands of known criminal acts that can be prosecuted and he must get going.

And about Mueller’s investigation…sooner or later he’s going to run up against the fact that he’s gone far outside of what his mandate was and is still empty handed. It should be sooner rather than later and it should result in his being fired as special prosecutor. It’s time for him to show cause as the Constitution demands or go away.

But it’s all politics in the one place where there should never be any political consideration. Everyone talks about honesty in the FBI, Justice Department and the Courts. But they always seem to mean slanted in the direction they want things to go.

I heard it on the car radio but having switched my TV off two years ago didn’t have any idea of who Jeff Sessions was.

With all the Trump baiting and references to his undoubtedly imperfect past life perhaps the Democrats should consider how embarrassing it would be to have similar examinations of their part heroes.

Presidents Kennedy, Clinton and Bobby, who was reported to have “changed his underwear five times a day”, whatever that might mean.

The antics of ANTIFA, stalking news people, as reported on this blog has to be one of the most profoundly “undemocratic” things imaginable.
And in the next breath those who sponsor and support them try to claim some sort of social purity for themselves.

And here at home in Australia we have politicians intent on beating about the bush and trying to cover up the Tithing they’ve put in place to support the Politically Neutral Church of Climatology.

My most recent quarterly electricity account just arrived by email. It is enough to pay for a whole year but they send out another three similar accounts to go to the Church.

This Electricity Ripoff is an extraordinary thing to be happening in a so called democracy and we don’t seem to be able to stop it with our votes.

Jo and others this is an important one to watch, if you have missed it?
2018-11-06-gwpf-c3-Professor Valentina Zharkova- The Solar Magnetic Field And The Terrestrial Climate
• Date: 05/11/18
• GWPF TV
Professor Valentina Zharkova gave a presentation of her Climate and the Solar Magnetic Field hypothesis at the Global Warming Policy Foundation in October, 2018.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_yqIj38UmY
14.53 in

some followups to earlier comments re North Short Environmental Stewards, etc:

8 Nov: Guardian: Tony Abbott and conservative MPs campaign to take back control of Liberal party
Special report: Fundraisers and panels aim to convince conservatives to wrest control and potentially reinstall former PM as leader
by Anne Davies
The tight-knit group, which includes Abbott, the MP for Hughes, Craig Kelly, the MP for Canning in Perth, Andrew Hastie, and the New South Wales senator Jim Molan have embarked on a series of events at rightwing branches exhorting conservatives to take back control of the Liberal agenda.
On Thursday night Abbott will hold a gala fundraiser for his campaign to retain the seat of Warringah, where he is almost certain to face a significant challenge from an independent in next year’s federal election…

In what could prove a flashpoint, the moderate wing has so far defied a bid by the prime minister, Scott Morrison, to allow Kelly to remain the member for Hughes. Kelly, a climate sceptic and close ally of Abbott, is under challenge from Kent Johns who has the numbers and made way for Kelly in the last election.
“Craig Kelly thinks his only constituency is people who watch Sky,” one senior Liberal said. “He’s been a terrible local member.”…

Meanwhile the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has written to preselectors in the state seat of north shore in a bid to save moderate Felicity Wilson, who is under challenge from hard-right candidate Tim James, another close ally of Abbott’s…
Themes at these talks are the myth of the climate change crisis, the rise of the left agenda and the need to make Australia secure…

Six weeks ago Abbott and his group were star billing at the Middle Harbour Yacht squadron. Only Kelly and Molan appeared, running the gauntlet of about 100 demonstrators, mostly locals, who turned out in driving rain to protest the Liberals’ lack of climate change policy.
Kelly delivered a full-throated critique of the left’s myths of climate change and a defence of the fossil fuel industry, a tape obtained by the Guardian shows.
Kelly told his audience that “30 years ago, the temperature was the same globally about where it was today”, even though the Bureau of Meteorology and other international agencies estimate the planet has already warmed more than 1C in the past century.
He also claimed that fossil fuels have made us safer from the climate, which he says has always been dangerous…READ ALLhttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/08/tony-abbott-and-conservative-mps-campaign-to-take-back-control-of-liberal-party

Facebook: North Short Environmental Stewards: 14hrs ago: We don’t recall seeing any Birkenstocks, and the only bags were Country Road… but we always welcome anyone who supports environmental stewardship and equal opportunity for all Australians because at the NSES we really are a #broadchurch who wants #fairdinkumpower!
If you do too, click the Sign Up button above and join us
LINK Miranda Devine article Daily Telegraph…

(SCROLL DOWN) North Shore Environmental Stewards added an event. 5 Nov
Want to learn more about solar power?
Join us for a presentation and Q&A – everything you wanted to know about solar power but were afraid to ask.
NSES founder Rob Grant will give a quick presentation on the benefits of solar power, then host a panel of tech experts to answer your questions.
Rob is a previous Clean Energy Council board member, and senior executive from the North Shore of Sydney. Rob has over 30 years experience in the clean energy and construction sectors – he knows how clean energy can benefit you and Australia, and will happily answer all your questions.
Warringah ranks 142nd out of 150 electorates on the Solar Scorecard: http://solarscorecard.org.au/electorate/warringah/ We can do better than that!…

7 Nov: SMH: Berejiklian makes extraordinary bid to save ‘tireless’ North Shore MP
By Lisa Visentin
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has made an extraordinary bid to save embattled North Shore MP Felicity Wilson, urging Liberal preselectors to support her in a knife-edge preselection showdown next week.
In a letter to be distributed to more than 200 preselectors, Ms Berejiklian described Ms Wilson as “a fighter” and the candidate “best placed to represent the Liberal Party at the 2019 state election”.

“I am asking directly for your support to ensure Felicity can continue to make a valuable contribution to her constituents and my government,” the letter stated.
“As the neighbouring Member, I constantly hear from community groups, constituents and North Shore locals of Felicity’s tireless efforts in delivering results.”…

Ms Wilson, a member of the Premier’s moderate faction, is at risk of losing Liberal preselection for the seat to Tim James, a member of the hard right faction and former chief of staff to Planning Minister Anthony Roberts…
Sources from both factions have told the Herald just a handful of votes will decide the outcome on Monday night, when 210 preselectors will determine who will contest the North Shore seat at the March election…

3 May: Bolt blog: LEFTIST LIBS TARGET ABBOTT, WHO COULD COST THEIR GREEN MATES CASH
LINK: Liberal MPs and members are OK with this? The collaborators think this does not make them look shabby?
Kristina (Photios) — a former Macquarie Bank analyst and KPMG adviser — has also created a new group called “Conservatives for Conservation” to champion environmental causes within the Coalition.
Kristina chairs the group, which we understand has secured the patronage of former Howard-era environment minister Robert Hill, former father-of-the-housePhilip Ruddock, the Liberals’ first federal female president Chris McDiven and, perhaps most significantly, former NSW premier Nick Greiner, the party’s all-but-official president-elect who will replace the outgoing Richard Alston in a fortnight at the Liberals’ federal council.
Kristina and Michael Photios … are now both officially lobbyists, acting on behalf of a range of energy clients diverse enough to span most of the Alan Finkel-sketched future.
Kristina is now working for Clean Energy Strategies, a new business founded in recent months by her husband and his business partners Nick Campbell and David Begg.
Andy Vesey’s energy shop AGL is Kristina’s first client. AGL has announced a long-term plan to get out of coal and increase investment in solar and wind farms, thereby diverging from the views of respected energy analyst Tony Abbott…https://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/leftist-libs-target-abbott-who-could-cost-their-green-mates-cash/news-story/bf5eeac98fdac2262aeecdb1b71f84ca

Wendy Tuohy bleating in todays Age about how the Geoffrey Rush case is allowing people to question Norvills honesty. Its a defamation case Wendy, its certainly about somebodies honesty. A jounalist of 30 years experience apparently.

7 Nov: UK Telegraph: Big Oil named and shamed by Church over climate sins
By Jillian Ambrose
Five of world’s largest oil companies have been shamed by a group led by the Church of England’s pension fund for failing to set climate change targets, while Royal Dutch Shell and Total have received the blessing of ethical investors.

The Anglo-Dutch and French oil giants are the only majors to have set long-term climate change targets that are aligned with goals set by governments within the Paris Climate Accord, according to a group backed by the Church of England Pensions Board and 30 other investment funds.

8 Nov: Bloomberg: Shell, Total Are Anomaly, Allowing Investors to Track Carbon
By Mathew Carr and Kelly Gilblom
Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA are the only companies among the 10 biggest oil and gas producers in the world which disclose how their carbon emissions will decline over time, according to the first analysis of its kind by managers overseeing more than $9 trillion of funds…
They are also the only two companies to disclose emissions from their sold products, the biggest portion of their impact on the climate…
That’s according to a new report by the Transition Pathway Initiative, a global program to cut climate risks, which is supported by managers including CalPERS and BNP Paribas Asset Management…

The findings of the report will be used by investors deciding where to allocate their capital. They may adjust their holdings as they attempt to avoid being left with shares which might drop in value as the world seeks to adhere to the 2015 Paris climate deal, which aims to keep temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Investors managing some $30 trillion of assets are increasingly prodding the world’s biggest polluters to come up with stronger green strategies…

The results “really distinguish Shell and Total from their peers,” said Adam Matthews, co-chair of the initiative and director of ethics and engagement at Church of England Pensions Board. Still, all of the companies and lawmakers need to do much more because regulation of the sector isn’t yet in line with Paris, he said by phone…
The Church of England Pensions Board has 650 million pounds ($855 million) in passive funds and is already examining how to reallocate some of that money in the next year to favor companies reacting appropriately to the Paris deal, he said…https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-07/shell-total-are-big-oil-standouts-as-investors-can-track-carbon

7 Nov: New Republic: America Voted. The Climate Lost.
Fossil fuel companies spent record amounts to oppose pro-climate ballot initiatives, and it paid off.
By Emily Atkin
Voters failed to pass a historic ballot initiative in Washington state to create the first-ever carbon tax in the United States. They rejected a ballot measure to increase renewable energy in Arizona, and to limit fracking in Colorado. Some of Congress’ most outspoken climate deniers held onto their seats. Several candidates who ran on explicitly pro-climate agendas lost.

Democrats did not quite get the blue wave they wanted, but it was even worse for environmentalists. There was no green wave whatsoever. That’s partially because of record political spending by the fossil fuel industry to oppose pro-climate initiatives, but also because of the Democratic Party’s failure as a whole to draw much attention to the issue…

Environmentalists had hoped that Florida, being on the front lines of climate change, would make history in that regard. But Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, a climate champion, was unseated by Governor Rick Scott, a Republican accused of banning the word climate from state government websites. And Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who pledged to act swiftly on climate, lost to a Republican who has dismissed the problem…

Voters rejected almost every opportunity to enact strong state-level climate policies. The biggest failure by far was in Washington. Initiative 1631 would have made the state the first in the country to charge polluters for their emissions. The proceeds from the carbon fee could have provided Washington with “as much as $1 billion annually by 2023 to fund government programs related to climate change,” Fortune reported, and “potentially kickstart a national movement to staunch greenhouse gases.” The measure lost by 12 percentage points.
The renewable energy ballot initiative in Arizona also presented a big opportunity to reduce emissions. Proposition 127 would have required electric companies in Arizona to get half of their power from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2030…

The Democratic Party has failed to treat climate change with much, if any urgency this election season. According to The New York Times, the “vast majority” of the party’s candidates did not mention the problem “in digital or TV ads, in their campaign literature or on social media.” And the party’s leaders in Congress have given little indication that they intend to prioritize climate change in the future. Is it any wonder voters weren’t excited about solving the problem, either?…https://newrepublic.com/article/152062/america-voted-climate-lost

8 Nov: 9News: AAP: Vic Labor solar plan spreads to renters
Victoria’s rental tenants will be able to soak up some solar energy benefits under a Labor plan to fit panels to up to 50,000 properties.
The party’s latest election promise pushes its already ambitious renewable energy plans even further, with an $82 million, 10-year plan.
Tenants would enter a deal with landlords and the state government with the latter paying half, the landlord a quarter, and tenants the remainder spread over four years.

“It’s a win-win for everyone involved,” Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Thursday…
“You can have a pet, you can put pictures on the wall and you can have solar panels on your roof, but only under a re-elected Labor government.”
The government announced in August its Solar Victoria plan for half-price panels.

The scheme would be overseen by a government agency to make sure tenants are not subject to increased rent if they take part in the scheme.
Labor also announced on Thursday it would increase the state’s renewable energy target to 50 per cent by 2030…

Malcolm Turnbull is still outraged that anyone could do to him what he did to Nelson and Abbott.

It seems Malcolm Turnbull was leading the Liberal and National parties to certain victory when he was deposed by a plot and insurgents. He is still outraged. After all he brought in Gay marriage. Rudd brought in the ‘apology’.

Champions in their own minds, legends in their own lunchtimes. Completely out of touch with reality.

In fact the evil plotters against popular leaders were Shorten, Gillard, Turnbull, Bishop and Pyne.

It is pleasing to see high flying schemer Julie Bishop on the back bench on a basic salary and perks. No more parties in New York, no more first class travel, private jets, world recognition. No more $400 million gifts to her Green friends at the UN or the Clintons.